NEAFL Wrap: Round 11 v Suns

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With a record 43 AFL listed players on the field, Saturday’s NEAFL match between the Brisbane Lions and Gold Coast Suns was always going to be a tough contest.

The Lions jumped out to a sizeable lead before the Suns evened up the scores late in the match. Josh Walker slotted a valuable goal to put the Lions back in front and seal a 12.13 (85) to 11.14 (80) victory.

Head of Development, Scott Borlace, said the game was an invaluable experience for his young side in learning how to close out a tight match.

“They came back hard at the end and levelled the scores, but we were able kick a goal at the end through Josh Walker to get in front,” said Borlace.

“It was good practice for us to practice putting numbers behind the ball and use our saving the game strategy. You can’t replicate that at training.”

The Suns dominated around stoppages, boasting 17 more clearances than the Lions.

“They got lots of numbers around stoppages. In the third quarter they got on a bit of the run and in the last quarter as well,” said Borlace.

“A lot of the ball movement we did we executed really well, but around stoppages we really struggled. We’ve got some strategies to improve going forward."

Jono Freeman starred in the win, booting four goals, while Walker and Michael Close also chipped in with two goals apiece.

“It was a pretty even performance by a lot of our players.”

Alex Witherden was good across halfback – he uses the ball really well. He’s improving week by week. I expect to see him get an opportunity at some point in the Seniors going forward.”

The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the AFL or its clubs